September 2020 archive

This week in history (28 Sep – 4 Oct)

28 September On 28 September 1897, Shinkin Gima was born in Shuri, Okinawa. Growing up he studied Karate under both Yasutsune Itosu and Kentsu Yabu before attending university in Tokyo. In 1922 he met and began training with Gichin Funakoshi. He was Funakoshi’s first black belt and would eventually reach the rank of 10th Dan. …

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Mas Tsuroka

I have seen the best Karate. All that really matters is what kind of human being you are. Mas Tsuroka Rightly known as the ‘Father of Canadian Karate‘ Mas Tsuroka did a lot to establish Karate in Canada. Many instructors teaching Karate in Canada today, can trace their lineage back to Tsuroka. Masami Tsuroka was …

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This week in history (21 Sep – 27 Sep)

21 September On 21 September 1980 Ronnie Christopher was promoted to 1st Dan by Keinosuke Enoeda. One of the best competitors of his generation, Christopher won numerous titles nationally and internationally. He was part of the British team that won the 1990 Shoto Cup in Sunderland, England, defeating the previously undefeated Japan in the team …

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Tadashi Nakamura

What I would like to say is that modern Karate is now quite popular compared to the past. There are more people studying Karate, more people teaching and more schools compared to before, not only in America but in Japan and elsewhere too. One good thing is that now people have more places to study …

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Norman Robinson

A legend of South African Shotokan Karate, Norman Robinson, alongside Stan Schmidt, was responsible for introducing Shotokan into South Africa. Known as a ferocious fighter, JKA great, Masahiko Tanaka, once referred to him as ‘a monster‘. Norman Robinson was born on 17 September 1936 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the youngest of eight children …

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Hatsuo Royama

Without presence and without intention, technique cannot live, it cannot inhabit the body. Hatsuo Royama The name Hatsuo Royama is synonymous with Kyokushin Karate. Around at the birth of Kyokushin Karate, he was one of the few students to be involved with Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin, from the start of the art, until …

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This week in history (14 Sep – 20 Sep)

15 September On 15 September 1938 Fumio Demura, a pioneer of American Karate, was born in Yokohama, Japan. Demura arrived in the US in 1965 at the invitation of another American pioneer, Dan Ivan. He started teaching at Ivan’s dojo. 17 September On 17 September 1966, Shigeru Oyama, no relation to the Kyokushin founder, took …

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Goshi Yamaguchi

We don’t need to separate sport and the traditional elements. Many young people like to have a chance to participate in sport Karate competition, and it is very good for them. In the process, they make friends and grow up. But people cannot neglect the mental aspect of training. Goshi Yamaguchi Goshi Yamaguchi comes from …

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Gosei Yamaguchi

Karate must be taught differently to people of different social backgrounds. It belongs to humanity, not just to the Japanese or Okinawans, and we must recognise this in our methods of introducing Karate to the public. Gosei Yamaguchi Gosei Yamaguchi was born into Karate royalty. His father was the legendary Goju-ryu master, Gogen ‘the cat‘ …

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Kenji Yamaki

The positioning of your knee is the key. From a standing position, you have to be able to chamber your knee as high as possible, and that’s what gives you the luxury of options in terms of where and how are you place the kick. If you bring your knee up high, you can kick …

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